Tell Me About Your Collections

There are times when I preview the home of a client that wants to put their property on the market and we approach a touchy area. Collections --they come in all forms, dolls, hunting & fishing stuffed trophies, plates, spoons, sports memorabilia, cuckoo clocks, swords, antique cooking utensils, books, figurines, baskets purchased at home parties, etc. Can I stop now? Are you getting the picture? Everyone collects something. Some people more enthusiastically than others.

We all do it because it provides us with tangible references to times in our lives we want to remember. In fact when I go to someone's home and say, "Tell me about your collection", there is always at least one story behind it. The raconteur usually beams with pride pointing out each piece and its significance.Now let us flip over to the buying client side. We enter a home, the intention is to view the various rooms, features, and determine if this property would fulfill their wish list. Instead what happens is the collections catch the eye of the buyers and draw them closer. "Oooh look at these" or, "These people must really like?" or better yet, "I wonder who lives here? They seem pretty interesting." All flattering comments about the seller as a person, but nothing whatsoever having to do with the house.

If you want to have a potential buyer come away from your home thinking about what features they saw that they liked and how that applies to them, then you need to remove the distractions beforehand. Pack away all of those items and save them for your new house. And if I come into your home as a realtor and gently advise you that the train platform taking up half of the basement, or the troll collection from your childhood has to go, please don't have your feelings hurt. Tell me about it, its history and significance, and then kiss it goodbye until you reunite in your new home. I'm only the messenger armed with information from years of experience.